SAT vs. ACT Testing for College
Should you take the SAT or the ACT, and why?
Whether you’ve been studying for the SAT or ACT for months or treating them as no big deal, before you complete your US university application you’ll need to have one (or both) under your belt.
Neither is fun, but each has benefits and drawbacks. You should take time to make an informed decision before taking either the SAT or ACT.
The test you pick can give you a better shot at doing well, and a better chance that you’ll hear good news– in the form of college acceptance letters!
SAT vs. ACT : Colleges Like Both
You may have read that the SAT is strongly preferred, if not required outright, by top-tier schools such as Harvard, Yale or Stanford. This is no longer the case.
The ACT is now as widely accepted as the SAT by virtually all schools in the US, and neither test will help or hurt your chances of getting into the elite colleges. The ACT is more widely taken than the SAT in the Midwestern and southern US, and admissions committees have come to understand that.
How the SAT is Scored
So the big question is: SAT vs. ACT– which test do you think you’ll do better on?
The SAT and ACT are tailored for different types of students. The SAT consists of three sections — math (algebra, geometry, probability and statistics), reading comprehension, and an essay. When you’re interpreting SAT scores, remember that each section is worth 800 points and recorded separately, so schools will be able to figure out which subjects are your strong suits.
If you’re planning on pursuing a college major in a specialized field for which one section is more important than the other, the SAT could be the preferable test. For example, engineering schools would look harder at the math score, and a writing program would weigh the verbal score more heavily.
Points are taken off for wrong answers, but not for answers left blank. The SAT is known as a test-taker’s test because it concentrates as much on your ability to not be fooled by tricky multiple-choice questions as it does on what you’ve learned in the classroom.
If you’re good at cramming for exams, then the SAT may be your standardized test of choice.
How the ACT is Scored
The ACT has four sections:
- English (mechanics and rhetoric)
- math (more advanced than the SAT, containing some trigonometry)
- reading comprehension
- science (Don’t worry: Little prior knowledge is assumed!)
There is also an essay that’s optional (unlike the SAT’s essay, which is mandatory).
Each section on the ACT is worth up to 36 points, and your score is averaged from all the sections, not broken down like the SAT’s. Points are NOT taken off for wrong answers.
That’s not to say that one test is easier than the other! However, the ACT lets you display more classroom knowledge, so if you’re a strong student but tend to succumb to the pressure of big tests, then perhaps the ACT is for you.
Deciding early which test is better for you will make test day a little less nerve-wracking.
Next: Prepare for the SAT or ACT
Previous: Standardized Test Tips
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